{ inspired#21 . Let it Snow . Let it Snow . Let it Snow }

. inspired#21 .

" I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?

And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt;

and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again'"

. Lewis Carroll .

clockwise from centre

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

The first of a few festive mood boards, and with the weather we have at the moment how could I not be inspired by all the snow?

Those cosy looking snowflake mittens were captured by Marion of basic hus, and have me searching furiously for a similar pattern to knit myself a pair.  And that lovely last illustration, by the very talented Meera Lee Patel, is the perfect snowy scene. Though it does also remind me of how my early morning runs in the snow have felt; achingly beautiful, but uphill all the way!

{ have a cosy day }

. my festive five . a medley of mincePies .

i have a bit of a love / hate relationship with mince pies . i love them when they're homemade . i love them when they're fresh out of the oven . so hot you burn your mouth on the mincemeat . i love them when they're not too sweet . when they are drowning in a bowl of vanilla custard . 

and equally . i hate { most } shop bought pies . i hate them when they're cold . when they are filled with a measly amount of fruit . i hate them when they are sweet enough to set your teeth on edge . and . i hate them outside of the month of december . in a world where we can seemingly lay our hands on anything, at any time of year, anywhere in the world, my unspoken rule is that mince pies should only be enjoyed in the month of december .

so now it is december . lets enjoy them in as many ways as we can . 

lets start with a lovely homemade mincemeat . for so many years i bought the " luxury " mincemeat - by the way, don't you love that most recipes for mince pies use shop bought mincemeat, but ask that it be " luxury " mincemeat, as if, in some way, that mitigates the use of a shop bought mincemeat ? anyway, i digress - but over the past few years i've become a bit wary of what ingredients are included, how much sugar is added, the suet, things that perhaps aren't that necessary ?  a little bit of googling & pinteresting later and i found a fruit mince recipe on TheHealthyChef . apples, cranberries, raisins, spices and apple juice simmer away for an hour to produce The Most Heavenly { and totally deserving of those capital letters } mince meat . you will be eating it from the jar . you will be adding it to your morning porridge . and . you will be questioning your logic of only making half a batch ?

as it doesn't have lots of added sugars and things it won't keep for as long as other mincemeats, but i don't think this will be a great problem . the longest a jar has lasted me so far is three days .

onto pastry . for years i used a simple shortcrust pastry . that is until i stumbled across Paul Hollywood's recipe for mince pies . oodles of butter, a little sugar to sweeten it, enriched with an egg, it's an indulgent pastry, but then it is christmas . 

and there you go . my favourites to make up a classic mince pie . 

but . in the spirit of my festive five . lets mix things up a bit & add a few variations . 

{ two . mince pies topped with a cinnamon streusel crumble }

{ three . mince pies topped with a homemade marzipan star }

classic christmas flavours of cinnamon & marzipan inspired variations two and three . the crumble topping is spicier and lighter than the usual pastry lid, the marzipan star brings another sweet dimension, and is reminiscent of a frangipane topped tart - which would also be quite lovely .

last year i spotted so many mince pies topped with viennese whirls, though didn't give them a go . with this year's viennese whirl making fresh in my mind these became mince pie number four . and for the last of my medley of mince pies, a recipe i found last year . in that after christmas lull, when you may just have reached your fill of the classic pie, and you are looking for ways to use up the last of the leftover mince meat and the words Sticky . Toffee . Apple . jump out at you . imagine a mince pie married with a slice of gingerbread . the best of christmas in one little bite !

{ four . mince pies topped with a viennese whirl }

{ five . mince pies topped with a sticky toffee sponge and slices of apple }

so there they are . my medley of mince pies .

oh . i forgot to mention in the recipes . 

to finish . dust liberally with icing sugar . it looks pretty . hides a multitude of baking sins . and . well. just because it's christmas .

after a couple of months absence, i'm pleased to be able to bake again as part of Bumpkin Betty's Baking Club . with this month's All Things Festive theme . i'm sure i won't be the only baker to choose mince pies  . but so far there have been a wonderful array of festive bakes;

. Jennie's . Malteaser Mini Reindeer Chocolate Cheesecake .

. Angela's . Christmas Character Cakes .

. Betty's . Festive Iced Cookies .

. Bethan's . Christmas Pudding Balls .

and . lots more on the club page to drool over . there's still time to join in the festive baking, so head over to the facebook page or her beautiful blog .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. my festive five . Christmas Stockings .

. 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

i think the one aspect of Christmas i miss now i'm all grownUp is the christmas stocking . our stockings when my sister & i were little, were our dad's chunky cream { and i hasten to add, clean } aran boot socks . at the time they seemed huge heavy things, full of hidden gems, the first glimpse of christmas, as you nudged your toe against it as you woke on christmas morning, a sign that santa had been . 

i doubt that there was a huge choice of stockings when i was younger, and though i would probably still hanker after the nostalgia of my dad's boot sock, there are plenty of lovely stocking choices out there . here are some of my favourites .

. dashing through the snow . to this gem of a stocking from Anthropologie .

. a touch of vintage kitsch . with this swallow stocking from KitschAttic .

. cosy & chunky hand-knit stocking . knitted by LaurenAstonDesigns .
. a DIY vintage photo stocking . follow the how-to by SweetPaul .
and . if you have a stocking but no fireplace to hang it by .
. a DIY branch stocking display . from the { wonderfully named } Merrythought .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. my festive five . xmAs cArds .

. 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

as i type i'm sitting surrounded by glitter, and trimmings of paper, card & ribbon, but all my cards are now made and { mostly } written . i love making my own xmas cards, but it's safe to say i would be spoilt for choice if i were to buy them . so many creative designers out there putting there individual handwritings to the festive season . here are a few of my favourites .

. mistletoe . merry christmas . drawn by Jade Fisher .

. you're the bobble . on my beanie . designed by Snowdon .

. nOel . doodled by Have a Gander .

. london city . snow globe . sketched by Kimberley Rose Studio .

. robin's . christmas wishes . drawn by Stephanie Davies .

. have a fEstive dAy .

. my festive five . { giftwrap } .

. 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

don't you just lOve days where your To-Do list reads . 1 . trim the tree . 2 . bake mince pies . 3 . play christmas songs . 4 . wrap gifts . 5 . make christmas cards .

{ i have a feeling they'll be a trail of glitter & crumbs all over my house by the end of today }

just as much as i love finding the right gift for people . i love wrapping those gifts to be as gorgeous as the gifts themselves . some years it's a little more successful than others ! this year i'm being a little bit more eco with my gift wrapping, making use of the copious amounts of paper . ribbons . & . trimmings that i've collected over the years . which may make my gift wrap theme a little on the ' eclectic ' side this year . 

i'm also trying not to get distracted by the lovely wrapping inspiration shown above . but . hoping that this may give you a few ideas & thoughts . 

. have a gOrgeous dAy .

my festive five . { cookies } .

. 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

this could quite happily have been a festive fifty favourite cookies . so many to choose from . but i have been a little more decisive and a little more selective . & . here are five of my favourite christmas cookies . 

. a classic . chocolate chip cookie . baked by Not Quite Nigella .

. a spicy . zimtsterne / cinnamon star . baked by Fig&Honey .

. an iced . snowflake cookie . baked by Fork&Flower .

. a gingerbread . christmas tree . baked by raspberri cupcakes .

. a tiny . linzer star . baked by Freutcake .

{ eat . bake . repeat } .

. have a swEet dAy .

my festive five . { trees } .

. 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

this december i'll be putting together a few festive boards . starting with today's five festive trees .

how will you trim your tree this year ?  part of me would love to do something as simple as the unadorned tree in a simple basket . & . then i think of all my beautiful baubles and the idea gets swept aside . but i do love the idea of a large painted tree hanging on the wall . no baubles required, just a touch of gold paint to give a tiny bit of sparkle .

. have a hAppy dAy .